JP5332431B2 - Liquid supply apparatus, printing apparatus, and control method of liquid supply apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid supply device that supplies liquid in a main tank to a head via a sub tank, a printing device, and a control method for the liquid supply device.

An example of the liquid supply apparatus is an apparatus that is incorporated in a printer connected to a personal computer or the like and supplies ink as a liquid to a print head.
Such a liquid supply apparatus is provided with a print control means for controlling the printing means, a maintenance operation control means, and an ink consumption control means, and calculates the ink consumption from the cleaning and the number of ink discharges to warn the ink replacement time. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-71530 A

  By the way, in the above technique, the ink consumption is obtained from the number of ink ejections and the remaining amount of ink is assumed, but the detection accuracy is not so high. For this reason, the threshold value for determining the ink end must be set higher than the actual ink end so that there is a margin. Therefore, the ink cartridge must be replaced with some ink remaining, and the ink It was a waste.

  In this case, the ink end of the ink cartridge can be detected based on the load of the carriage by providing a pump function for sucking ink of each color from the ink cartridge by the driving force of the carriage mounted with the print head. However, if a plurality of colors become ink ends at the same time, the load on the carriage is greatly increased. For this reason, the motor for driving the carriage has to be increased in size, thereby increasing the size and cost of the apparatus.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid supply apparatus, a printing apparatus, and a control method for the liquid supply apparatus that can appropriately determine the replacement timing of a main tank without increasing the cost or increasing the size.

The liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention that can solve the above-described problems includes a main tank in which liquid is stored in a plurality of sealed capacity variable storage units,
A sub tank having a variable volume liquid chamber in which liquid is replenished from the main tank;
A head capable of discharging liquid supplied from the sub tank;
A carriage on which the head and the sub tank are mounted and movable;
A regulating member in contact with the carriage;
When the carriage moves, a swinging arm member that swings in conjunction with a decrease in the amount of liquid in the sub-tank abuts on the regulating member, so that the movable member is connected via a tension coil spring. An extension mechanism for pulling up the plurality of liquids from the main tank by expanding the liquid chamber by pulling up the tension coil spring and displacing a flexible membrane integrated with the bottom of the movable member.
A liquid supply apparatus comprising:
A calculating means for calculating the amount of liquid used in the reservoir of the main tank from the amount of liquid discharged from the head;
Determination means for determining the replacement time of the main tank based on the calculation result of the calculation means, the determination means comprising:
Based on the calculation result of the calculating means, it is determined whether or not the liquid remaining amount in the storage unit is a specified remaining amount that is a little remaining state,
In the case of the specified remaining amount, it is determined whether or not the number of the storage units that has become the specified remaining amount is a predetermined number or more,
If it is greater than or equal to the predetermined number, it is determined that it is time to replace the main tank,
If the predetermined number is not reached, the load required to move the carriage after the swinging arm member comes into contact with the restriction member when the liquid is drawn from the main tank to the sub tank is integrated as a movement load. The replacement time of the main tank is determined by comparing with a moving load of the carriage in a state where it is difficult to supply a desired amount of the liquid from the main tank .

According to the liquid supply apparatus of this configuration, when the remaining amount of liquid in the predetermined number of the storage units is a specified remaining amount, the main tank is determined to be replaced, and the storage unit that has reached the specified remaining amount is determined. predetermined number, the if less than the predetermined number, the load required to move the carriage from the swing arm member when the draw the liquid into the sub tank from the main tank is in contact with the regulating member Since it is integrated as a moving load and compared with the moving load of the carriage in a state where it is difficult to supply a desired amount of the liquid from the main tank, the replacement time of the main tank is determined. At the same time, it is possible to avoid an empty state in which liquid supply is difficult.
That is, it is determined that it is time to replace the main tank before a predetermined number of reservoirs are emptied and a large load is applied to the carriage when the expansion mechanism draws liquid, so the maximum load on the carriage is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the drive mechanism including a motor for moving the carriage.
As a result, the main tank can be replaced at an appropriate time without causing an increase in cost or an increase in size.

In the liquid supply apparatus of the present invention, the liquid supply device further includes drive means for reciprocating the carriage,
The drive means is a motor, and a load required for moving the carriage is detected as a drive current value of the motor, and the judgment means increases the negative pressure in the liquid chamber when the remaining amount of liquid in the main tank decreases. Then, based on the fact that the load required to expand the liquid chamber and draw the liquid increases and the current value required to move the carriage increases, the load required to move the carriage is set as the current value. It is preferable to determine the replacement timing of the main tank by detecting and integrating, and comparing it with the current value of the carriage load in an empty state where it has become difficult to supply a desired amount of the liquid from the main tank .

  According to the liquid supply device having this configuration, when it is determined that at least one of the storage portions in the main tank is empty based on the load required for the carriage movement, it is determined that the main tank is to be replaced. The main tank can be replaced at an appropriate time while suppressing waste of liquid.

  In the liquid supply apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the storage unit can be independently replaced.

  According to the liquid supply device of this configuration, since the storage section can be independently replaced, it is possible to replace only the storage section in which the liquid is empty without replacing the storage section where the liquid remains. This can reduce the waste of liquid as much as possible.

The printing apparatus of the present invention is a printing apparatus that performs printing processing by ejecting ink from the head to a conveyed medium,
As a device for supplying ink to the head, any one of the liquid supply devices of the present invention is provided.

  According to the printing apparatus having this configuration, the main tank can be replaced at an appropriate time without incurring an increase in cost and size, and waste of ink can be suppressed as much as possible.

The liquid supply apparatus control method of the present invention includes a main tank in which liquid is stored in a plurality of storage units, a sub tank having a liquid chamber in which liquid is supplied from the main tank, and discharge of liquid supplied from the sub tank. The amount of the liquid in the sub tank is reduced by moving the head, the carriage on which the head and the sub tank are mounted, the movable carriage, the regulating member in contact with the carriage, and the carriage moving. by swinging arm member that swings conjunction with comes into contact with the regulating member, tensile pulling the tension coil spring is movable member connected via coil springs, the integral with the bottom portion of the movable member flexible and write no expansion mechanism pulls the plurality of liquid from the main tank by expanding the liquid chamber by displacing the membrane,
A method of controlling a liquid supply apparatus comprising:
A liquid use amount calculating step for calculating a liquid use amount of the storage section of the main tank from a liquid discharge amount from the head;
A replacement time determination step of determining a replacement time of the main tank based on a calculation result in the liquid usage calculation step,
The replacement time determination step includes:
Based on the calculation result in the liquid usage calculation step, it is determined whether or not the remaining amount of liquid in the storage unit is a specified remaining amount that is a little remaining,
In the case of the specified remaining amount, it is determined whether or not the number of the storage units that has become the specified remaining amount is a predetermined number or more,
If it is greater than or equal to the predetermined number, it is determined that it is time to replace the main tank,
If the predetermined number is not reached, the load required to move the carriage after the swinging arm member comes into contact with the restriction member when the liquid is drawn from the main tank to the sub tank is integrated as a movement load. The replacement time of the main tank is determined by comparing with a moving load of the carriage in a state where it is difficult to supply a desired amount of the liquid from the main tank .

According to the control method of the liquid supply device, when the remaining amount of liquid in the predetermined number of the storage units is a specified remaining amount, it is determined that it is time to replace the main tank, and the storage unit that has reached the specified remaining amount If the predetermined number is less than the predetermined number, the load required to move the carriage after the swing arm member comes into contact with the regulating member when the liquid is drawn from the main tank to the sub tank. As a moving load, and compared with the moving load of the carriage in a state where it is difficult to supply a desired amount of the liquid from the main tank, the replacement time of the main tank is determined. Can be avoided at the same time.
That is, it is determined that it is time to replace the main tank before a predetermined number of reservoirs are emptied and a large load is applied to the carriage when the expansion mechanism draws liquid, so the maximum load on the carriage is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the drive mechanism including a motor for moving the carriage.
As a result, the main tank can be replaced at an appropriate time without causing an increase in cost or an increase in size.

In the method for controlling a liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention, in the replacement timing determination step, when the remaining amount of liquid in the main tank decreases, the negative pressure in the liquid chamber increases, and the liquid chamber is expanded to draw in the liquid. The load required to move the carriage is increased and the drive current value of the motor that drives the carriage required to move the carriage is increased. The load required to move the carriage is detected and integrated as the current value. It is preferable to determine the replacement time of the main tank by comparing the current value of the carriage load in an empty state where it is difficult to supply a desired amount of the liquid from the main tank .

  According to the control method of the liquid supply apparatus, when it is determined that at least one of the storage portions in the main tank is empty based on a load required for carriage movement, it is determined that the main tank is to be replaced. Therefore, it is possible to replace the main tank at an appropriate time while suppressing waste of liquid.

Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of a liquid supply apparatus, a printing apparatus, and a control method for a liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 10 are views for explaining an ink jet printer in which an ink supply mechanism is configured by the liquid supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the ink jet printer, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink jet printer with the printer cover opened, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink jet printer with the printer case removed, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ink pump unit and the regulating plate, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the structure of the self-sealing unit, FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining the control system of the ink jet printer, and FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view showing the structure of the ink cartridge. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the carriage movement amount and the carriage load, and FIG. 10 is an ink cartridge by the control unit. It is a flowchart for explaining the replacement timing determination control of di.

First, the structure of an inkjet printer that is a printing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer 1 uses a plurality of types of color inks to perform color printing on a part of roll paper that has been fed out. A paper cover 5 and an ink cartridge cover 7 are provided to be freely opened and closed. Further, on the front surface of the printer case 2, a power switch 3 and a feed switch, an indicator, and the like are also arranged.

When the roll paper cover 5 is opened, as shown in FIG. 2, the paper storage unit 13 that stores the roll paper 11 that is a medium to be printed is opened, and the roll paper 11 can be replaced.
When the ink cartridge cover 7 is opened, the cartridge mounting portion 15 is opened, and the ink cartridge (main tank) 17 can be attached to and detached from the cartridge mounting portion 15.

  In this case, the ink cartridge 17 is pulled out by a predetermined distance in front of the cartridge mounting portion 15 in conjunction with the operation of opening the ink cartridge cover 7.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a carriage 23 on which an inkjet head (head) 21 is mounted is provided above the paper storage unit 13 in the printer case 2. The carriage 23 is supported by a guide member 25 extending along the width direction of the roll paper 11 so as to be movable in the paper width direction, and includes an endless belt 26 a and an endless belt 26 a extending in the width direction of the roll paper 11. The carriage motor 26 b that is driven can reciprocate above the platen 28 in the width direction of the roll paper 11. The inkjet head 21 performs a printing process by discharging ink to a part of the roll paper 11 that has been fed.

  As shown in the drawing, the upper portion of the cartridge mounting portion 15 is a standby position (home position) of the carriage 23 that reciprocates. Below this standby position, a cap 27 that covers the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 21 exposed on the lower surface of the carriage 23, and an ink suction that sucks and discards the ink in each ink nozzle of the inkjet head 21 via the cap 27. A mechanism 29 is provided.

  The ink cartridge 17 is a cartridge case 18 in which a plurality of unillustrated color ink packs are accommodated. Each ink pack (storage part) in the ink cartridge 17 is made of a flexible material and has a variable capacity and is sealed in a state where ink is stored inside. The ink cartridge 17 is attached to the cartridge attachment part 15. At this time, an ink supply needle (not shown) provided on the cartridge mounting portion 15 side is inserted and connected to the ink supply port of the ink pack. An ink flow path 31 fixed in the printer case 2 is connected to the ink supply needle of the cartridge mounting portion 15, and one end of a flexible ink supply tube 33 divided into each color is connected to the ink flow path 31. Is connected.

  The other end of the ink supply tube 33 is connected to an ink pump section (replenishment mechanism) 34 for each color provided on the carriage 23. Each ink pump unit 34 is provided above the inkjet head 21 and is connected to a self-sealing unit 36 connected to the inkjet head 21.

In addition to the inkjet head 21, an ink pump unit 34 and a self-sealing unit 36 are integrally mounted on the carriage 23.
As a result, the ink in each ink pack in the ink cartridge 17 passes from the ink supply needle of the cartridge mounting unit 15 to the ink flow path 31, the ink supply tube 33, the ink pump unit 34 for each color, and the self-sealing unit 36 for each color. Then, the ink is supplied to each ink nozzle of the inkjet head 21.

The ink pump unit 34 draws ink from the ink cartridge 17 when the movable carriage 23 moves with respect to the main body of the printer 1, and the ink pump 17 moves to the main body side of the printer 1 by moving the carriage 23. A regulating plate 37 shown in FIG. 4 for operating the unit 34 is arranged in the forward direction of the carriage 23 to the standby position.
In the ink jet printer 1, the ink cartridge 17, the sub tank 45, the ink jet head 21, the carriage 23, and the ink pump unit 34 constitute an ink supply mechanism (liquid supply mechanism).

Next, the ink pump unit 34 constituting the ink supply mechanism will be described by exemplifying a structure for one color.
As shown in FIG. 5, a check valve 41 is provided at the end of the flow path 31 on the ink cartridge 17 side, and the ink cartridge 17 is interposed between the ink cartridge 17 and the ink pump unit 34 by the check valve 41. Ink flows only from the side to the ink pump 34 side.

  The ink pump unit 34 includes a sub tank 45 that draws ink from the ink cartridge 17 through the ink supply tube 33. The sub-tank 45 includes an upper divided body 46 and a lower divided body 47, and a flexible membrane 49 made of a flexible diaphragm is interposed between the upper divided body 46 and the lower divided body 47. It has an ink chamber (liquid chamber) 50 whose upper portion is covered. The flexible membrane 49 is made of butyl rubber or the like having low moisture permeability and gas permeability.

  The ink chamber 50 communicates with the ink supply tube 33 and communicates with the flow path 42 on the self-sealing unit 36 side, and supplies ink from the ink cartridge 17 and supplies ink to the self-sealing unit 36 side. It is possible. A check valve 43 is provided at the end of the ink flow path 42 on the self-sealing unit 36 side, and the ink chamber 50 is interposed between the ink chamber 50 and the self-sealing unit 36 side by the check valve 43. Ink flows only from the side to the self-sealing unit 36 side. The flexible film 49 is made of a flexible material that can be easily deformed. With the deformation of the flexible film 49, the capacity of the ink chamber 50 becomes variable, and is expanded and contracted. The ink pump unit 34 is provided with an expansion mechanism 52 that expands the ink chamber 50 by displacing the flexible film 49.

  The expansion mechanism 52 includes a cylindrical cylinder 53 that extends in the vertical direction, a piston (movable member) 54 that is slidably inserted in the cylinder 53, and a cylinder 53 in the upper divided body 46. A swing arm 56 is swingably supported by the swing shaft 55 disposed, and a tension coil spring (elastic portion) 57 is interposed between the swing arm 56 and the piston 54.

  The cylinder 53 is made of a resin material such as polypropylene having low moisture permeability and gas permeability. The cylinder 53 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the piston 54, and a small-diameter inner peripheral surface 59 that slidably guides the outer peripheral surface of the piston 54 is formed at the upper portion, and the outer periphery of the piston 54 at the lower portion. A stepped shape is formed in which a large-diameter inner peripheral surface 60 that forms a gap with the surface is formed.

  The piston 54 is made of a resin material such as polypropylene having low moisture permeability and gas permeability. The piston 54 is formed in a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape, and its swing arm 56 side is notched from the upper end to an intermediate position in order to place the swing arm 56.

  A locking portion 67 that locks the lower end of the tension coil spring 57 is formed above the bottom of the piston 54.

  The swing arm 56 includes an arm portion 69 that extends from the swing shaft 55 into the cylinder 53, a vertical extension portion 70 that extends downward from the swing shaft 55, and an arm portion 69 of the vertical extension portion 70. Has an input portion 71 extending from the opposite end portion in the direction opposite to the arm portion 69. The tip of the arm 69 has a bowl shape, and the upper end of the tension coil spring 57 is locked to this portion.

  The flexible film 49 includes an annular thick base portion 74 sandwiched between the upper divided body 46 and the lower divided body 47 in a state of being fitted in the annular groove 73 of the upper divided body 46, and the base portion. The thin film part 75 which extends from the inner peripheral part of the cylinder 74 in a cylindrical shape and the thick substantially disk-shaped fixing part 76 which closes the opposite side of the film part 75 from the base part 74. It is a molded product.

  A tapered projection 77 is integrally formed at the center of the fixed portion 76, and the projection 77 is press-fitted into and fitted into a slit 65 formed in the piston 54. In this state, the fixing portion 76 is integrated with the bottom portion of the piston 54, so that the fixing portion 76 and the membrane portion 75 of the flexible film 49 are displaced by the movement of the piston 54.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the self-sealing unit 36, a supply path 82, an intermediate path 83, and a discharge path 84 are formed in the unit main body 81. The downstream end of the flow path 42 is connected to the supply port 82 a formed in the supply path 82, and the inkjet head 21 is connected to the discharge port 84 a formed in the discharge path 84.

  An inflow port 85 a is formed in the wall portion 85 that divides the supply path 82 and the intermediate path 83, and the ink in the supply path 82 flows into the intermediate path 83 through the inflow port 85 a. Further, a communication port 86 a is formed in the wall portion 86 that divides the intermediate path 83 and the discharge path 84, and ink in the intermediate path 83 flows into the discharge path 84 through the communication port 86 a.

  A fulcrum portion 87 is formed on the wall portion 86 in the intermediate path 83, and a swing bar 91 is swingably supported on the fulcrum portion 87. The swing rod 91 is integrally formed with an operating rod portion 92 that is bent toward the wall portion 85 at one end thereof, and the tip of the operating rod portion 92 abuts against the wall portion 85. A closing plate 93 for closing the inlet 85a is formed. A compression spring 94 is provided between the closing plate 93 and the wall portion 86, and the closing plate 93 is biased toward the wall portion 85 by the biasing force of the compression spring 94. Further, the other end portion of the swinging rod 91 is formed with a pressing rod portion 95 that is bent toward the wall portion 86 and is inserted into the communication port 86 a of the wall portion 86.

  An opening 96 is formed in the side wall 81a of the unit body 81 on the discharge path 84 side. A liquid-tight and flexible film 97 is liquid-tightly connected to the opening edge portion of the opening 96. A pressing plate 98 is fixed to the central portion of the film 97 on the discharge path 84 side. The tip of the pressing rod portion 95 of the swinging rod 91 is in contact with the pressing plate 98.

  A compression spring 99 is attached between the pressing plate 98 and the wall portion 86, and the pressing plate 98 is pushed outward by the urging force of the compression spring 99. In the self-sealing unit 36, the closing plate 93 is pressed against the wall 85 by the pressure acting on the compression spring 94 and the closing plate 93, and the inflow port 85a is closed.

  In the self-sealing unit 36, when the pressing bar portion 95 of the swinging rod 91 is pressed by the pressing plate 98 as the volume of the portion covered with the film 97 decreases, the swinging rod 91 is moved by the fulcrum portion 87. The closing plate 93 is separated from the wall portion 85 by swinging around the connecting portion. As a result, ink flows from the supply path 82 through the inlet 85 a to the intermediate path 83 and the discharge path 84 and is supplied to the inkjet head 21.

By providing the self-sealing unit 36 on the upstream side of the inkjet head 21, even if ink pressure fluctuation occurs on the supply side due to acceleration / deceleration of the carriage 23, for example, the pressure fluctuation is applied to the inkjet head 21. Is blocked by the self-sealing unit 36.
This prevents problems such as unintentional ink ejection from the inkjet head 21 due to transmission of pressure fluctuations, ink dripping, or missing dots due to defective ejection.

  In the printer 1 having the above structure, when the carriage 23 is in the standby position, the input portion 71 of the swing arm 56 contacts the restriction plate 37 outside the carriage 23, and the vertically extending portion 70 extends vertically along the arm portion 69 and the input. The unit 71 is in a horizontal state. At this time, the piston 54 is pulled up by the biasing force of the tension coil spring 57.

  Further, the carriage 23 moves away from the standby position to position the ink jet head 21 in the printable area, and then the ink jet head 21 discharges ink in the printable area to perform printing, so that the self-sealing unit 36 When ink is supplied to the inkjet head 21 and the pressure in the self-sealing unit 36 becomes negative, ink is supplied from the ink chamber 50 to the self-sealing unit 36 via the flow path 42.

  Here, when the ink in the ink chamber 50 is decreased, the piston 54 is lowered integrally with the fixed portion 76 while the film portion 75 of the flexible film 49 is deformed by the negative pressure generated by the decrease in the ink. Then, the swing arm 56 connected to the piston 54 via the tension coil spring 57 swings so that the tip of the arm portion 69 is lowered. As a result, the side of the input portion 71 of the swing arm 56 is swung. The amount of protrusion is increased.

  When the carriage 23 returns to the standby position from this state, the swing arm 56 that moves together with the carriage 23 comes into contact with the regulation plate 37 outside the carriage 23 at the input portion 71, and swings when the carriage 23 moves, and moves up and down. The extending part 70 extends vertically, and the arm part 69 and the input part 71 are horizontal. As a result, the distal end portion of the arm portion 69 rises, and the piston 54 connected via the tension coil spring 57 slides up in the cylinder 53 and is pulled up.

  Due to the movement of the piston 54 performed through the tension coil spring 57, the fixing portion 76 of the flexible film 49 of the ink pump portion 34 rises integrally with the piston 54, and the ink chamber 50 of the sub tank 45 is expanded to increase the capacity. Is done. Thus, when the capacity of the ink chamber 50 increases, the ink is transferred from the ink cartridge 17 through the ink flow path 31 and the ink supply tube 33 while the check valve 41 is opened and the check valve 43 is closed. 50 will be aspirated.

  And in the inkjet printer 1 of the said structure, the control part 100 performs said ink replenishment operation | movement at a predetermined timing during printing operation. This ink replenishment operation is performed in a state where at least an amount of ink that can supply ink to the inkjet head 21 remains in the ink chamber 50 even when printing that consumes ink to the maximum is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 100 of the ink jet printer 1 controls the driving of the ink jet head 21 and the carriage motor 26 b by transmitting control signals to the ink jet head 21 and the carriage motor 26 b, and supplies the roll paper 11 to the roll paper 11. A print process or the like is executed. The control unit 100 is connected to an encoder 103 that transmits position information of the carriage 23, and the control unit 100 detects the position of the carriage 23 based on a signal from the encoder 103.

The control unit 100 includes a detection unit 111, a calculation unit 112, a comparison unit 113, a storage unit 114, and a CPU 115. The detection unit 111, the calculation unit 112, and the comparison unit 113 are controlled by the CPU 115.
The detecting means 111 detects the current value of the carriage motor 26b. Based on the current value detected by the detection means 111, the calculation means 112 calculates and integrates a carriage load, which is a load required for the movement of the carriage 23, as a current value. The comparison unit 113 compares the threshold value stored in advance in the storage unit 114 with the integrated value of the carriage load composed of the current value obtained by the calculation unit 112. The CPU 115 determines the ink empty state in the ink cartridge 17 based on the comparison result from the comparison unit 113.

As shown in FIG. 8, the four color ink packs (reservoir) 17a in the ink cartridge 17 are made of a flexible material and have a variable capacity, and are sealed in a state where ink is stored therein.
Therefore, when the stored ink remaining amount is reduced to become nearly empty, the load required to expand the ink chamber 50 and draw ink is increased. That is, when the ink in the ink cartridge 17 becomes empty, the load of movement of the carriage 23 for expanding the ink chamber 50 is greatly increased, and the current value of the carriage motor 26b is greatly increased, so that the ink is empty. A threshold value stored in the storage unit 114 is set based on the current value at that time. Then, the control unit 100 configured as described above detects that the ink remaining in the ink cartridge 17 has run out and is empty. The empty in this case is a state in which it is difficult to supply a desired amount of ink from the inside of the ink reservoir, and includes a case where some ink remains in the ink pack 17a.

Here, as shown in FIG. 9, when the ink in the ink chamber 50 is not consumed and is full, the carriage load is constant up to the home position (HP) which is the standby position (two in FIG. 9). (See dotted line).
Further, in a state where the ink in the ink chamber 50 is consumed, the ink in the ink cartridge 17 is drawn into the ink chamber 50 from the time when the input portion 71 of the swing arm 56 comes into contact with the regulating plate 37, and the capacity is increased. By increasing the carriage load, the carriage load increases (see the one-dot chain line in FIG. 9).

At this time, if the ink in the ink cartridge 17 is empty, the ink is not drawn into the ink chamber 50. Therefore, in this state, the tension coil spring 57 extends from the time when the input portion 71 of the swing arm 56 contacts the restriction plate 37, and the carriage load greatly increases according to the elastic force (solid line in FIG. 9). reference).
That is, the carriage load differs greatly between the case where the ink in the ink cartridge 17 is empty and the case where the ink remains. Therefore, it is possible to easily and quickly determine whether or not the ink cartridge 17 is empty (ink end) by comparing the integrated value of the carriage load with respect to the movement amount of the carriage 23 with the threshold value.

  In addition, when the carriage 23 exceeds the home position (HP), reaches the limit point, and the movement is restricted, the carriage load increases rapidly as shown in FIG. . Then, the origin of the carriage 23 can be set by detecting the sudden increase point of the carriage load.

  A reader / writer 101 is connected to the control unit 100. The reader / writer 101 reads / writes ink information from / to the IC chip 102 provided in the ink cartridge 17. The ink information written in the IC chip 102 includes, for example, ink consumption, remaining ink amount, waste ink amount, use start date, and use device information.

  The control unit 100 reads the ink information stored in the IC chip 102 of the ink cartridge 17 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 15 by the reader / writer 101. If the mounted ink cartridge 17 is new, the use start date and the used device information are written in the IC chip 102.

  When the printing process or the cleaning process is performed, the calculation unit 112 obtains the dot count value of the ink droplets ejected from the inkjet head 21 by the printing process or the cleaning process, and has already stored the dot count value in the IC chip 102. The total ink consumption is updated by adding the obtained dot count value to the ink consumption thus written, and is written in the IC chip 102.

Next, replacement timing determination control for determining the replacement timing of the ink cartridge 17 by the control unit 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
First, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the dot count value, which is the ink consumption amount of each color in the ink cartridge 17, has reached the near-end region and the remaining ink amount is a specified remaining amount (step S01).
Here, the near-end area is an area from a state where a small amount of ink in the ink pack 17a of the ink cartridge 17 remains to a state where the ink is completely emptied, and the dot count value of the ink consumption reaches the near-end area. In the case where the ink is present, the remaining amount of ink in the ink pack 17a is assumed to be a predetermined remaining amount.

If it is determined in the above determination that the dot count value has reached the near-end area and the remaining ink amount is the specified remaining amount (step S01: Yes), the number of ink colors that have reached the near-end area is set as a threshold value. It is determined whether or not the predetermined number is exceeded (step S02).
In the present embodiment, the predetermined number is 4, and it is determined whether all the colors in the ink cartridge 17 having the four-color ink packs 17a have reached the near-end region.

If it is determined in this determination that the number of colors in the near-end area is less than the predetermined number of 4 (step S02: No), it is determined whether the load on the carriage 23 is in the real-end area (step S03).
Specifically, when the carriage 23 performs the ink supply operation toward the standby position, it reaches the real end region where the integrated value of the carriage load is a threshold value, and the ink pack of at least one ink color of the ink cartridge 17 It is determined whether 17a is empty (real end).

If it is determined by this determination that any of the ink packs 17a of the ink color has reached the real end area (step S03: Yes), a display for prompting replacement of the ink cartridge 17 is performed (step S04).
If it is determined in this determination that none of the ink colors has reached the real end area (step S03: No), the process proceeds to step S02 to determine the number of ink colors that have reached the near end area.

  If it is determined in the above-described determination of the number of ink colors in the near end region that the predetermined number of four colors is the near end region (step S02: Yes), a display for prompting replacement of the ink cartridge 17 is performed (step S04).

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, in the structure in which the expansion mechanism 52 expands the ink chamber 50 by the moving force of the carriage 23 to draw ink from the ink cartridge 17, the ink in the near-end region. If the number of colors is less than 4 of all colors and it is determined that there is an ink color in the real end area, the ink cartridge 17 is prompted to be replaced. In addition, it can be avoided that the four colors simultaneously become a real end.

That is, since it is determined that it is time to replace the ink cartridge 17 before the predetermined number of ink colors become a real end and a large load is applied to the carriage 23, a state in which the predetermined number of ink packs 17a simultaneously become ink ends is avoided. The maximum load on the carriage 23 can be reduced, and the drive mechanism portion of the carriage 23 including the carriage motor 26b can be downsized.
Thus, the ink cartridge 17 can be replaced at an appropriate time without causing an increase in cost or an increase in size.

  Further, when it is determined that at least one of the ink packs 17a in the ink cartridge 17 is an ink end based on the load required for the movement of the carriage 23, it is determined that the ink cartridge 17 is to be replaced, so that waste of ink is suppressed. The ink cartridge 17 can be replaced at an appropriate time.

  In the above embodiment, the printer 1 that ejects four colors of ink from the inkjet head 21 is taken as an example, and when it is determined that all four colors are in the near-end region, replacement of the ink cartridge 17 is prompted. Although the control is performed, the predetermined number of ink colors in the near-end region for determining the replacement of the ink cartridge 17 is not limited to four colors.

In the above embodiment, the case where the ink cartridge 17 in which the four color ink packs 17a are incorporated is used as an example. However, as shown in FIG. 11, the ink cartridge 17 for each color in which the ink packs 17a for each color are incorporated. It is also applicable when using.
In this case, when the number of ink colors in the near-end area is not a predetermined number (step S02: No) and any ink color is determined to be a real-end area (step S03: Yes), the real-end area A display for prompting replacement of only the ink cartridge 17 of the determined ink color is performed (step S04).
That is, in the case of using an independent ink cartridge 17 for each ink color, only the ink cartridge 17 in which the ink has been emptied can be replaced, and the other ink pack 17a in which the ink remains can be replaced without replacing the ink cartridge 17a. Can be minimized.

The liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention includes a color material discharge head, an organic EL display, and an FED (surface emitting display) used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, including the ink jet printer exemplified in the above embodiment. ) Electrode material discharge head used for electrode formation, bioorganic discharge head used for biochip manufacturing, etc., liquid supply device for supplying liquid to the liquid discharge head, and sample discharge device as a precision pipette It can also be applied to a liquid supply device or the like.
Further, the concept of liquid includes gel-like, highly viscous, and solid mixed with a solvent, and the concept of ink includes water-based ink and oil-based ink.

1 is an external perspective view showing an inkjet printer that is an example of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the state where the printer cover of the ink jet printer was opened. It is a perspective view of the state where the printer case was removed from the ink jet printer. It is a top view which shows the ink pump part and control board of an inkjet printer. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the ink supply mechanism of an inkjet printer. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the self-sealing unit of an inkjet printer. It is a block diagram explaining the control system of an inkjet printer. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of an ink cartridge. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a carriage movement amount and a carriage load. 6 is a flowchart illustrating ink cartridge replacement timing determination control by a control unit. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the other structure of an ink cartridge.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet printer (printing apparatus, liquid supply apparatus), 17 ... Ink cartridge (main tank), 17a ... Ink pack (storage part), 21 ... Inkjet head (head), 23 ... Carriage, 45 ... Sub tank, 50 ... Ink Chamber (liquid chamber), 52 ... expansion mechanism, 54 ... piston (movable member), 57 ... tension coil spring (elastic part), 112 ... calculation means, 115 ... CPU (determination means).

Claims (10)

A main tank in which liquid is stored in a plurality of storage units;
A sub tank having a liquid chamber in which liquid is replenished from the main tank;
A head for discharging liquid supplied from the sub-tank;
A carriage mounted with the head and the sub tank and movable;
A regulating member in contact with the carriage;
When the carriage moves, a swinging arm member that swings in conjunction with a decrease in the amount of liquid in the sub-tank abuts on the regulating member, so that the movable member is connected via a tension coil spring. An extension mechanism for pulling up the plurality of liquids from the main tank by expanding the liquid chamber by pulling up the tension coil spring and displacing a flexible membrane integrated with the bottom of the movable member.
A liquid supply apparatus comprising:
A calculating means for calculating the amount of liquid used in the reservoir of the main tank from the amount of liquid discharged from the head;
Determination means for determining the replacement time of the main tank based on the calculation result of the calculation means, the determination means comprising:
Based on the calculation result of the calculating means, it is determined whether or not the liquid remaining amount in the storage unit is a specified remaining amount that is a little remaining state,
In the case of the specified remaining amount, it is determined whether or not the number of the storage units that has become the specified remaining amount is a predetermined number or more,
If it is greater than or equal to the predetermined number, it is determined that it is time to replace the main tank,
If the predetermined number is not reached, the load required to move the carriage after the swinging arm member comes into contact with the restriction member when the liquid is drawn from the main tank to the sub tank is integrated as a movement load. A liquid supply apparatus for determining a replacement time of the main tank by comparing with a moving load of a carriage in a state where it is difficult to supply a desired amount of the liquid from the main tank . Drive means for reciprocatingly driving the carriage;
The driving means is a motor, and a load required for moving the carriage is detected as a driving current value of the motor,
When the remaining amount of liquid in the main tank decreases, the determination means increases the negative pressure in the liquid chamber and increases the load required to expand the liquid chamber and draw in the liquid. required on the basis of said current value increases, the load required to move the carriage by integrating detected as the current value, the liquid of a desired amount from the main tank carriage load that state becomes difficult feed The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a replacement time of the main tank is determined by comparing with a current value.   The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit is replaceable independently.   4. The liquid supply according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply is a printing apparatus that performs printing processing by ejecting ink from the head onto a conveyed medium, and supplies the ink to the head. 5. A printing apparatus comprising the apparatus. A main tank in which liquid is stored in a plurality of storage units, a sub tank having a liquid chamber in which liquid is supplied from the main tank, a head capable of discharging liquid supplied from the sub tank, the head and the sub tank A carriage that is movable , a regulating member that contacts the carriage, and a swinging arm member that swings in conjunction with a decrease in the amount of liquid in the sub-tank as the carriage moves. by contact with the regulating member, tensile pulling the tension coil spring is movable member connected via a coil spring, expanding the liquid chamber by displacing the flexible membrane which is integrated in the bottom of the movable member a control method of a liquid supply apparatus having a write-free expansion mechanism pulls the plurality of liquid from the main tank by,
A liquid use amount calculating step for calculating a liquid use amount of the storage section of the main tank from a liquid discharge amount from the head;
A replacement time determination step of determining a replacement time of the main tank based on a calculation result in the liquid usage calculation step,
The replacement time determination step includes:
Based on the calculation result in the liquid usage calculation step, it is determined whether or not the remaining amount of liquid in the storage unit is a specified remaining amount that is a little remaining,
In the case of the specified remaining amount, it is determined whether or not the number of the storage units that has become the specified remaining amount is a predetermined number or more,
If it is greater than or equal to the predetermined number, it is determined that it is time to replace the main tank,
If the predetermined number is not reached, the load required to move the carriage after the swinging arm member comes into contact with the restriction member when the liquid is drawn from the main tank to the sub tank is integrated as a movement load. A control method for a liquid supply apparatus , comprising: determining a replacement time of the main tank by comparing with a moving load of a carriage in a state where it is difficult to supply a desired amount of the liquid from the main tank . In the replacement time determination step, when the remaining amount of liquid in the main tank decreases, the negative pressure in the liquid chamber increases, and the load required to expand the liquid chamber and draw in liquid increases, and the carriage moves Based on the increase in the drive current value of the motor that drives the carriage required, the load required to move the carriage is detected and integrated as the current value, making it difficult to supply a desired amount of liquid from the main tank. by comparing the current value of the carriage load of other state, the control method of the liquid supply device according to claim 5, characterized in that to determine the replacement timing of the main tank. An ink cartridge having a plurality of storage parts storing ink for each color;
A sub-tank that is replenished by pump means with ink stored in the storage unit;
An inkjet head for discharging the ink supplied to the sub-tank;
A carriage mounted with the inkjet head and reciprocating along the width direction of the paper;
A regulating member in contact with the carriage;
Drive means for reciprocatingly driving the carriage;
An arithmetic means for calculating an ink usage amount of the storage unit from an ejection amount of the ink from the inkjet head;
Determination means for determining the replacement timing of the ink cartridge based on the calculation result of the calculation means;
With
The pump means has an expansion mechanism for expanding an ink chamber formed in the sub tank,
The expansion mechanism includes a cylindrical cylinder, a movable member that moves in the cylinder, and swings in conjunction with a decrease in the amount of ink in the ink chamber, and also moves the movable member when the carriage reciprocates. A swing arm member that operates to expand the ink chamber and replenish ink to the ink chamber;
The determination means includes
Based on the calculation result of the calculating means, it is determined whether the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge is a specified remaining amount that reaches the near-end region,
If the specified remaining amount, it is determined whether the number of the storage units of the specified remaining amount is a predetermined number or more,
If the predetermined number or more, it is determined that it is time to replace the ink cartridge,
If the predetermined number is not reached, the load required to move the carriage after the swinging arm member comes into contact with the regulating member when the liquid is drawn from the ink cartridge into the ink chamber is integrated as a movement load. Then, by comparing with the movement load of the carriage in a state where it is difficult to supply a desired amount of the liquid from the ink cartridge, it is determined whether or not the carriage movement load is a real end region,
When it is determined that the real end area has been reached, it is determined that it is time to replace the ink cartridge.   The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the driving unit is a motor, and the moving load of the carriage detects and uses a driving current value of the motor.   The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the cartridge is a separate cartridge independent for each color.   The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the cartridge is an integrated cartridge including a plurality of independent storage portions for each color.

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